Blackpool dad who struggled with anxiety and addiction died of drugs cocktail on Christmas Eve

Myles Brent 28, of Felgate Brow, was found unresponsive in the living room of his aunt's Chesterfield Road home by his dad and sister on the morning of December 24. Paramedics were called and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

At his inquest at Blackpool town hall on Thursday, coroner Andrew Cousins heard how Mr Brent, a dad of one, had suffered from anxiety since he was 14-years-old, and had turned to drug use to deal with his problems. He was also addicted to painkillers, which he had previously been prescribed to treat a shoulder injury.

The court heard how Mr Brent had moved into his aunt Geraldine's ground floor flat on Chesterfield Road after she died of a Covid-19 infection on December 18.

He was last seen by his dad Julian at around 8.30am on the day he died, when he was fast asleep and 'snoring loudly' on the sofa.

His dad went out to run some errands and returned a few hours later with his daughter, Myles' sister, and found

He said: "When I went in I saw Myles was still lying on the sofa. He wasn't moving. I didn't think he was breathing.

"I rolled Myles off the sofa but he just flopped onto the floor."

He started to perform CPR while his daughter called 999.

"I was doing chest compressions on Myles, but he wasn't responding at all," Julian Brent told the court. "I knew he was dead, but I couldn't stop."

READ: Family's tribute after death of young dad Myles

Paramedics tried for up to 30 minutes to resuscitate Myles, but were unable to revive him.

A post-mortem examination and toxicology test, carried out by Dr Sudoba Weerasinghe, revealed high levels of morphine, along with various painkillers, in his system. The cause of death was multi-drug toxicity.

Julian Brent said he believed his son had intentionally taken his own life, as he had recently struggled with depression due to losing his job as a security guard, breaking up with his girlfriend, and the death of his aunt. He said: "I agree multi-drug toxicity killed my son. But I believe he did it deliberately because of his mental state at the time."

However, Mr Cousins said that he was only able to offer a conclusion based on the evidence presented during the inquest. He handed down a conclusion of a drugs-related death.